What is the biggest power station in the world? By installed capacity, it is China’s Three Gorges Hydropower Plant at 22,500 MW (22.5 GW). However, the largest power plant does not necessarily generate the most electricity each year. Capacity measures rated power at one moment; annual generation measures energy produced over time. Water availability, maintenance, fuel supply and capacity factor can change the result.
How We Ranked the World’s Largest Power Plants
This ranking uses data checked in August 2026 and applies four rules.
First, it counts a named, contiguous site reported by its operator as one generating facility. Commissioned units or phases may be combined, but dispersed solar, wind and multi-project energy bases are excluded. Including aggregated bases would produce a different list.
Second, the site must be operating. Only commercially commissioned units are counted. Planned, under-construction, suspended and retired capacity is excluded; routine maintenance does not remove a commissioned unit.
Third, plants are ranked by installed nameplate capacity, not annual generation. A 1,000 MW plant operating for one hour produces 1,000 MWh. One GW equals 1,000 MW; one TWh equals one million MWh.
Fourth, the generation column uses the latest complete plant-level year found in credible sources. When unavailable, it labels an average or “not separately disclosed” rather than inventing a figure. Expansion capacity is included only after commercial operation.
10 Largest Power Plants in the World by Installed Capacity
| Rank | Power plant | Country | Type | Operating capacity | Published generation reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Three Gorges | China | Hydro | 22,500 MW | 95.715 TWh (2025) |
| 2 | Baihetan | China | Hydro | 16,000 MW | 60.104 TWh (2025) |
| 3 | Itaipu | Brazil/Paraguay | Hydro | 14,000 MW | 83.8 TWh (2023) |
| 4 | Xiluodu | China | Hydro | 13,860 MW | 61.356 TWh (2025) |
| 5 | Belo Monte | Brazil | Hydro | 11,233 MW | 20.414 TWh (2024) |
| 6 | Guri (Simón Bolívar) | Venezuela | Hydro | 10,235 MW | About 47 TWh (published historical figure) |
| 7 | Wudongde | China | Hydro | 10,200 MW | 36.918 TWh (2025) |
| 8 | Jebel Ali complex | UAE | Natural gas | 8,695 MW | Not separately disclosed |
| 9 | Tucuruí | Brazil | Hydro | 8,370 MW | 28.643 TWh (2024) |
| 10 | Grand Coulee | United States | Hydro | 6,809 MW | About 21 TWh (long-term average) |
The table shows why “power plant power output” needs a unit and time period. Belo Monte has more capacity than Guri or Wudongde, yet generated less in 2024 because river conditions strongly affect run-of-river production. Three Gorges ranged from 78.79 TWh in 2022 to a record 111.8 TWh in 2020. Capacity supports a stable engineering comparison; annual output shows actual performance.
Hydropower dominates because dams can concentrate many large turbine-generator units at one site. It does not mean hydro produces most of the world’s electricity.
The Largest Power Plants by Energy Source
Largest Hydropower Plant
Three Gorges is the largest hydropower plant and operating single-site power station by installed capacity. Baihetan ranks second at 16 GW. The 60 GW Yarlung Zangbo project began construction in 2025, but its five cascade stations are unfinished and excluded. Large hydro units may require guide-bearing, thrust-bearing and lubrication-oil cooling; see JED’s hydropower heat exchanger solutions.
Largest Nuclear Power Plant
Japan’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa remains the largest nuclear site by total nameplate rating, about 7.97 GW net. But only its 1.36 GW Unit 6 returned to commercial operation in April 2026; the other units are not counted in our main ranking. One nuclear plant may contain several reactors.
Largest Thermal and Coal-Fired Power Plants
“Thermal power plant” can mean coal, gas, oil or nuclear heat. DEWA’s current station data total 8,695 MW for the Jebel Ali natural-gas power and desalination complex. For coal specifically, China Datang lists the 6,720 MW Tuoketuo Power Plant as the world’s largest conventional thermal station.
How Auxiliary Cooling Supports Large Generating Equipment
Large rotating units also generate heat. Bearings, lubricating oil and auxiliary fluids must remain within their design temperatures. Depending on the equipment and cooling-water system, a plant may use bearing oil coolers, shell-and-tube heat exchangers or air-cooled units for lubrication oil, guide and thrust bearings, seal oil, water or glycol circuits.
Plant megawatts alone cannot size an exchanger. Fluid properties, heat load, temperatures, flow, pressure, fouling, water quality, materials and installation space determine the design. Replacement projects must also confirm connections and allowable dimensions.
Discuss Your Power Plant Cooling Requirements
JED manufactures custom auxiliary heat exchangers for new and replacement power-generation equipment. We can work from reviewed drawings or perform thermal selection from verified operating data. For a bearing oil cooler or auxiliary shell-and-tube unit, send JED your project information for engineering review and quotation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What data should I send for a replacement bearing oil cooler quotation?
Provide the drawing or main dimensions, media, flow rates, inlet and required outlet temperatures, design pressure, materials, connections and applicable code. Photos and nameplate information help identify constraints but normally do not replace engineering data.
Can JED manufacture a cooler from an old drawing?
Yes, if it contains enough verified information. JED reviews dimensions, interfaces, materials and operating conditions. If duty or cooling water has changed, thermal verification may be required instead of copying the old design.
What if the plant’s cooling-water quality has changed?
Report chloride content, suspended solids, hardness, treatment method and expected fouling. They may affect tube material, velocity, fouling allowance and cleaning access.
Which inspections can be specified before shipment?
Depending on the drawing and code, buyers may request material documents, dimensional inspection, pressure or leak testing, and applicable VT, PT or UT records. Agree the scope and acceptance criteria before manufacturing.
